


Place of Power

by ChromiumHeart



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Armitage Hux is a Jerk, Hux is Not Nice, Kylo Ren Has Issues, Kylux - Freeform, M/M, Mind Reading, Minor Original Character(s), Original Character Death(s), Post-Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Slash, Supreme Leader Kylo Ren, War, force mind reading, warfare
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-08
Updated: 2018-02-08
Packaged: 2019-03-15 07:26:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13608480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChromiumHeart/pseuds/ChromiumHeart
Summary: Snoke underestimated Armitage Hux. With him gone and Kylo Ren taking his place as Supreme Leader, Hux has found himself free of his chains. On a mission for information on the last of the Resistance, Ren realizes why Hux was always kept on a short leash.





	Place of Power

**Author's Note:**

> Dedicated to "Tilly", thanks for always giving me ideas and letting me ramble to you about my fics. <3
> 
> ETA (02/08/18): WOW. thank you for all the love on this fic! I meant it as a one shot but I may continue if I get another idea to go with this, or possibly do a series of shorts where I explore this side of Hux. Feel free to message me on here or tumblr if you have some ideas you'd like to see!

The First Order knew there wasn't a place in the known galaxy that the fleeing remnants of the Resistance could hide in, but chasing them was like pursuing a wild animal; difficult at the best of times. The First Order was foraged in the darkness of the Unknown Regions, downtrodden residual scraps of the once formidable Empire now led by the fearsome Kylo Ren. He led a pack of wild fiends; women and men with fanatic loyalties who would do whatever they could to bring the Resistance to its final end. 

One of those fanatics had been a part of the First Order before it was even officially named; Grand Marshal Armitage Hux. Ren had bestowed the title of Grand Marshal upon Hux shortly after the Battle of Crait, and the redhead had been busy since earning his keep with the new Supreme Leader. 

Snoke had always undervalued the man from Arkanis; he would treat him as little more than an errand boy, keeping him on a short leash and making sure he knew his place by referring to him as a 'rabid cur'. Ren wondered if Snoke saw or felt things from the General that he didn't, but he never asked his Master. He simply watched them interact; watched Hux take the verbal insults like he hadn't even heard it, and still showed respect to Snoke. It was almost admirable, because Ren knew how much the insults stung him. 

It was rare that Ren and Hux saw eye to eye when he was alive, but since Ren had taken care of the former Supreme Leader, he had released the bonds that held Hux down. He was no longer a snarling animal on display in chains; he was given power, and he worked the First Order officers and crew to the bloody bones of their hands in search of the Resistance. 

Releasing the beast would be one of Ren's greatest mistakes. 

"Supreme Leader, I would like to ask for your assistance." Hux said as he walked into the throne room, his greatcoat billowing behind him as he moved. "I am in need of your... specific abilities to get some answers." 

Ren smirked from his spot sprawled out on the throne, hand resting on his cheek and legs spread to optimize the space he had. Surrounding him were his faithful Knights, whom Hux had taken a shine to when they were brought on board. He quite admired their prowess, and they all seemed to be much more in charge of their emotions than Ren was. He had seen them in battle and worked alongside them; they weren't simply Jedi-killers of guards past. They were different. Beautiful. 

"Are your traditional methods of gathering information not working, Grand Marshal?" 

Hux squeezed his hands into fists behind his back, suppressing his desire to lash out at the younger man. 

"With all due respect, Supreme Leader, I would like to attempt to bring down the remaining Resistance forces before they have time to rally their allies and your method is much more... effective." 

Ren gave a nod and slid himself up onto those impossibly long legs, stretching before stalking towards his Grand Marshal. Hux turned on his heel and easily fell into step next to Ren, his hands still clasped properly behind his back. The Knights followed dutifully behind their Master, a swath of swirling black clothing and capes as the group moved down the hallways to the transporter bay. 

Ren broke off from the group and headed for his TIE Silencer as Hux and the Knights boarded an Upsilon-class shuttle. Ground troops scrambled to their transports and followed close behind as the Upsilon made its way to the destination. 

On the planet, a proximity alert sounded, sending civilians into a panic as they scrambled to hide themselves and their loved ones from the Imperials. Some knew why they were here and instead of hiding grabbed the closest weapons and ran for cover in the underbrush of the jungle between the landing pads and the small town. If they could drive back the First Order from there, their asset would be able to escape and rally with the fleet. 

"No prisoners, unless it's the asset. I want him alive for Ren." Hux told the Knights as the Upsilon touched down, "No mercy. If civilians get in your way, don't hesitate or you'll be answering to Ren." 

The Knights put their right fists over their chests in unsion, a silent gesture to tell the Grand Marshal that his orders were understood. Hux had never heard them speak, nor remove their helmets. He didn't know if they were human or alien, male or female, but none of that mattered. They were among the finest Force users in the Galaxy and unlike Ren, they were under Hux's control. 

Once all personnel had off loaded, Hux sent two squadrons of troopers ahead of them. He knew there would be resistance, but he also knew the small faction they would likely meet here was no match for the force of the army he commanded. 

Death troopers marched ahead of Hux and Ren, with the Knights following closely behind to protect them from any surprise attack. Barely within the tree line, a blaster shot rang out, and a trooper fell from formation. In an instant, violence erupted from all sides, Resistance fighters throwing themselves at the First Order squadron with little regard for their own safety. 

A suicide squad, Hux mused. 

Ren had already activated his lightsaber and plunged it deep into the chest of a young soldier with an animalistic growl. The Knights scattered in either direction towards the onslaught of rebels before Ren could give the order to protect Hux. 

It wasn't that he cared for him - not in any sense that one would care about a coworker or friend. No, Hux was his right hand, his military strategist, and he would be damned if he was going to lose him so easily on a mission he shouldn't have been on in the first place. Eyes scanned the thick greenery of the jungle, reflecting a blaster shot with his lightsaber as he searched for the redhead. 

Hux had his pistol in hand, firing more skillfully than Ren had imagined he could when another ambushed him from a mass of trees, toppling Hux and causing Ren to surge forward. Blaster fire kept him back from getting to the pair when he saw Hux again, pulling the rebel with him. He had the man around the shoulders and with a flick of his wrist had his monomolecular blade in hand, slicing through the man's neck and painting himself and the foliage with the rebels blood. 

He stood, then, heel to the body on the ground as he slipped his blade back in its place and took the man's blaster. He narrowly missed fire from further in the brush and Ren's eyes widened as Hux stalked towards the melee instead of away from it. He followed as troopers fell around him, the scent of burning flesh and wet earth overwhelming his already hypersensitive senses. He hacked and slashed with his saber, a grace only he could possess as he continued on the coat tails of his Grand Marshal that showed more fury and force on the battlefield than he could have imagined. 

In the ensuing skirmishes, Ren lost sight of the shock of red hair in the foliage, leaving the troopers to finish off the remaining rebels as he continued towards the village. The ground grabbed onto his boots with every step, sinking into the muddy terrain. He pushed through the large leaves of feather ferns and avoided the shrubs known as touch-nots until finally emerging, cloaks bespattered and in disarray. He found Hux and one of his Knights nearby, looming over a pair of civilians. 

"Where is he?" Hux demanded of one as he dug the barrel of the stolen blaster into the temple of the other. 

The first man sobbed out a response that Hux didn't like and held up his hands as the Grand Marshal growled low in his throat. He shoved the blaster into the Knights hands and lifted the second, wrenching his arm behind his back until he cried out in pain. 

"I won't ask again." He threatened, only waiting for seconds until twisting the second man's arm and tugging violently until an audible _crack_ could be heard, eliciting an excruciated wail that echoed through the sandstone alley. 

The first man sputtered, trying to come up with a reply that would make the redhead happy. Hux took his monomolecular blade in hand again, bringing it up to the second man's eye. He stared at the man on the ground, jaw clenched as he plunged the blade into his friends eye, enough to blind but not enough to kill. 

Over the screams, Hux finally got his answer. He dropped the second man to the ground and hid his blade again, taking the blaster back from the Knight. 

"Head to the western landing pad. We don't have time to waste." 

Ren, who had watched the exchange go down and was still stupefied by Hux's relentless brutality in the battlefield, straightened some when he saw the Grand Marshal turn, their eyes meeting. 

Hux's skin was flecked with mud and traces of blood, smeared over his uniform and clinging to his hair. His pants and boots were caked in drying mud, hairline dotted with perspiration. His eyes were wild, big green orbs surrounded by blond lashes. His jaw was tight still, and Ren could swear if he listened closely, he would hear the adrenaline coursing through the man's veins. 

Hux blinked once and turned his back to Ren, shooting both civilians in the head and painting the sandstone building behind them in blood and grey matter. He cocked his head westward, giving Ren the silent direction to follow him. Surviving troopers made their way out of the thick brush, plastoid armour dirty and scuffed as they fell behind their leaders obediently. 

It was with fierce determination that Hux marched to the clearing he'd been directed to, thrilled to see the ship hadn't left yet. That meant their asset was still planet side. The Knight that had been with Hux was boarding the ship with death troopers following close behind, Hux taking a moment to survey the goings on. 

He reached into his greatcoat and took out his pack of cigarras, putting one in his mouth, lighting it and taking a long drag. His break didn't last long though as a rebel made a run for him, charging him and throwing her shoulder into Hux's abdomen to take him down. They wrestled, a blade in the rebels hand catching the light as she slashed forward, dragging the blade from the edge of Hux's right nostril back towards his hairline. 

Hux growled like a wild animal and used their combined force to throw her from him, snapping Ren out of his stunned daze and lending him a hand by using the Force to hold her still. 

Getting to his feet, Hux made a tutting sound as he circled her, hair falling out of place and giving him a more unkempt appearance that drew Ren's fascination even more. He plucked the blade from the rebels hand and rolled it idly in his palm, the woman's eyes wide and brimming with unabashed terror. 

"Stupid girl," Hux sneered, as he glanced from her to the knife and back again, "Don't you see? You've picked the wrong side. You've lost." 

His attention was drawn briefly as the Knight returned, dragging their target alive but unharmed behind them. The other troopers emerged, each with a prisoner who had their fingers clasped together behind their necks. 

"Line them up over there." Hux instructed, glancing to Ren. 

He held the man's gaze as he took the knife in his hand and forced it into the rebels chest, twisting it before withdrawing the blade and plunging it in again. One of the prisoners screamed, but didn't dare move. The woman choked and blood bubbled out of her mouth before her eyes closed and Ren let her drop to the ground. 

He should have feared this new side of Hux that he had released on the Galaxy, but he was enthralled; absolutely enamoured to the point that he couldn't stop staring. He only looked away when Hux began to move to their target, his lips tight but curled upwards slightly in a satisfied smile. 

"I'm not stupid. I know you'll never give us the information we need willingly." He said conversationally, leaning down to grasp the man's cape and clean off the blood on his gloved hands. 

"So you'll watch your crew be killed, and then Ren is going to pull apart your mind piece by piece until we find our answers and you're left with nothing but nightmares of all the terrible choices you've made in your past. And those are many, aren't they, Calrissian?" 

The man on his knees let out a low noise, watching Hux as he stepped into view. 

"Spare my crew and I will willingly tell you everything I know." He offered, making Hux laugh out loud. 

"Oh, oh Calrissian, that's one of the richest things I've ever heard," he clicked his tongue once, looking pensive, "I know your kind. I've dealt with your kind more than I like to admit. No, we are doing things my way, and there's no negotiating." 

Ren stepped over to the pair of them, looming like a dark shadow in the corner of a room on a storming night. His eyes were cold, Lando noted, devoid of the emotion that Leia had in her beautiful doe eyes. And now he was going to betray her unwillingly to her own son, who would see to it that the rest of the Resistance were slain. 

"Kill them." Hux ordered the troopers, watching Lando's face as the executions were carried out. He remained stone faced as his friends died in front of him, biting the inside of his cheek hard. 

"Don't stop until you find every bit of information you need." Hux told Ren, "I don't care if his brain is liquid by the time you're finished." 

As Ren began reaching into Lando's peripherals with the tendrils of the Force, Hux gathered up the Knights and troopers. 

"Round up the villagers. Spare the children and have them sent to the _Absolution_ for reconditioning and initiation. Kill the rest." 

Ren felt a tremor run through him as he listened to Hux's fierce commands, ignoring Lando's screams and pushing easily through the mental blockade the man had put up to try and keep him out. Once, he sought to make Hux please him; make him work for the title that he had been kind enough to bestow on him, but now the tides had turned. Ren wanted desperately to please Hux; this violent, rabid thing that commanded and controlled mercilessly. 

Ren saw infinity in Hux's behest; a vision of grandeur larger than he could have ever imagined, and he wanted it. _Craved it_. Their eyes met again as Hux circled the pair, and Ren barely caught his own gasp in his throat. Hux's eyes blazed with all the fury he possessed inside of him, drawing Ren like he was a holy deity in need of worship. Revelling in a million prayers. 

"Find the answers for me, Ren." Hux ordered, their eyes still holding one another's.

When Hux walked behind him, Ren went back to his focus on Lando, twisting through his mind, pulling out memories and leaving them scattered like a photo album. Searching for what he needed to give to Hux. The screams were background noise now; Lando's nose was bleeding and his body was convulsing, but Ren dug deeper, sinking his claws in and savagely ravaging the man's mind. 

A hand slipped into his raven hair, tugging at the strands slightly. Hux gripped the locks in one gloved hand, standing over Ren's hunched form. 

"That's it." Hux praised, "Find them." 

Ren gasped again as the fingers tightened in his hair, his whole body thrumming with ferocious energy. He passed right by memories of his mother and father as if they were strangers, delving deep and finally finding what he was looking for. 

"They've retreated to the Unknown Regions - grid coordinates K-20. Terminus." 

He released the Force bond on Lando, the man falling to the ground gracelessly, his body limp. Though the mental torture had been severe, he had survived. Unfortunately, for him. 

Hux's hand moved from Ren's hair down to his jaw as he stepped in front of him, gripping it between his fingers. Ren brought his dark eyes up to meet remorseless green, a small smile playing across his lips. 

"Such a good boy," Hux spoke as if he were addressing an obedient animal, "Doesn't it feel lovely to give up some control sometimes?"

Ren didn't answer. Hux already knew what his reply would be. He let go of Ren's jaw with a smirk, and the Force user rose slowly to his feet. 

"Collect Calrissian for prisoner transport." Hux told one of the troopers, "Have the fleet hailed for a meeting at 2100 hours." 

Ren fell into step with Hux once again, swiftly moving with the Grand Marshal back to their ships. In the distance there was screaming and blaster fire as the squadron carried out Hux's orders. Ren shivered again, his stomach tightening slightly as he took the young man in, still carrying himself as prim and proper as he always did, despite the smattering of mud and blood. 

"What was that?" He asked finally, drawing Hux's attentions with a slightly arched brow. 

He smirked, his eyes reflecting dark intentions. Hux had waited for a very long time for this moment; to show off what he was like once he was free of his shackles, allowed to be the beast of a man that he truly was. Fanatical. Hard-bitten. Completely uncontrite in all of his actions. His father would have finally been proud. 

He drew the Supreme Leader close, "Power." Hux whispered the word, and set Ren's very soul alight.

**Author's Note:**

> I live for comments and kudos, they're like drugs to writers, so leave me some of the good stuff! 
> 
> Please feel free to say hi, follow me, or send me a fic request [on Tumblr](http://chromiumhearts.tumblr.com)!


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